alfred tennyson-第5章

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more　encouraging。　　Perhaps　bards　of　to…day　do　not　find　an　eagerness
among　their　acquaintance　for　effusions　in　manuscript；　or　in　proof…
sheets。　　The　charmed　volume　appeared　at　the　end　of　the　year　（dated
1833）；　and　Hallam　denounced　as　〃infamous〃　Lockhart's　review　in　the
Quarterly。　　Infamous　or　not；　it　is　extremely　diverting。　　How　Lockhart
could　miss　the　great　and　abundant　poetry　remains　a　marvel。　　Ten　years
later　the　Scorpion　repented；　and　invited　Sterling　to　review　any　book
he　pleased；　for　the　purpose　of　enabling　him　to　praise　the　two　volumes
of　1842；　which　he　did　gladly。　　Lockhart　hated　all　affectation　and
〃preciosity；〃　of　which　the　new　book　was　not　destitute。　　He　had　been
among　Wordsworth's　most　ardent　admirers　when　Wordsworth　had　few；　but
the　memories　of　the　war　with　the　〃Cockney　School〃　clung　to　him；　the
war　with　Leigh　Hunt；　and　now　he　gave　himself　up　to　satire。　　Probably
he　thought　that　the　poet　was　a　member　of　a　London　clique。　　There　is
really　no　excuse　for　Lockhart；　except　that　he　DID　repent；　that　much
of　his　banter　was　amusing；　and　that；　above　all；　his　censures　were
accepted　by　the　poet；　who　altered；　later；　many　passages　of　a　fine
absurdity　criticised　by　the　infamous　reviewer。　　One　could　name　great
prose…writers；　historians；　who　never　altered　the　wondrous　errors　to
which　their　attention　was　called　by　critics。　　Prose…writers　have　been
more　sensitively　attached　to　their　glaring　blunders　in　verifiable
facts　than　was　this　very　sensitive　poet　to　his　occasional　lapses　in
taste。

The　Lady　of　Shalott；　even　in　its　early　form；　was　more　than　enough　to
give　assurance　of　a　poet。　　In　effect　it　is　even　more　poetical；　in　a
mysterious　way；　if　infinitely　less　human；　than　the　later　treatment　of
the　same　or　a　similar　legend　in　Elaine。　　It　has　the　charm　of
Coleridge；　and　an　allegory　of　the　fatal　escape　from　the　world　of
dreams　and　shadows　into　that　of　realities　may　have　been　really
present　to　the　mind　of　the　young　poet；　aware　that　he　was　〃living　in
phantasy。〃　　The　alterations　are　usually　for　the　better。　　The　daffodil
is　not　an　aquatic　plant；　as　the　poet　seems　to　assert　in　the　first
form　…


〃The　yellow…leaved　water…lily；
The　green　sheathed　daffodilly；
Tremble　in　the　water　chilly；
　　　Round　about　Shalott。〃


Nobody　can　prefer　to　keep


〃Though　the　squally　east　wind　keenly
Blew；　with　folded　arms　serenely
By　the　water　stood　the　queenly
　　　Lady　of　Shalott。〃


However　stoical　the　Lady　may　have　been；　the　reader　is　too　seriously
sympathetic　with　her　inevitable　discomfort　…


〃All　raimented　in　snowy　white
That　loosely　flew；〃


as　she　was。　　The　original　conclusion　was　distressing；　we　were　dropped
from　the　airs　of　mysterious　romance：…


〃They　crossed　themselves；　their　stars　they　blest；
Knight；　minstrel；　abbot；　squire；　and　guest；
There　lay　a　parchment　on　her　breast；
That　puzzled　more　than　all　the　rest
　　　The　well…fed　wits　at　Camelot。〃


Hitherto　we　have　been　〃puzzled；〃　but　as　with　the　sublime　incoherences
of　a　dream。　　Now　we　meet　well…fed　wits；　who　say；　〃Bless　my　stars！〃　as
perhaps　we　should　also　have　done　in　the　circumstancesa　dead　lady
arriving；　in　a　very　cold　east　wind；　alone　in　a　boat；　for　〃her　blood
was　frozen　slowly；〃　as　was　natural；　granting　the　weather　and　the
lady's　airy　costume。　　It　is　certainly　matter　of　surprise　that　the
young　poet's　vision　broke　up　in　this　humorous　manner。　　And；　after
all；　it　is　less　surprising　that　the　Scorpion；　finding　such　matter　in
a　new　little　book　by　a　new　young　man；　was　more　sensitive　to　the
absurdity　than　to　the　romance。　　But　no　lover　of　poetry　should　have
been　blind　to　the　almost　flawless　excellence　of　Mariana　in　the　South；
inspired　by　the　landscape　of　the　Provencal　tour　with　Arthur　Hallam。
In　consequence　of　Lockhart's　censures；　or　in　deference　to　the　maturer
taste　of　the　poet；　The　Miller's　Daughter　was　greatly　altered　before
1842。　　It　is　one　of　the　earliest；　if　not　the　very　earliest；　of
Tennyson's　domestic　English　idylls；　poems　with　conspicuous　beauties；
but　not　without　sacrifices　to　that　Muse　of　the　home　affections　on
whom　Sir　Barnes　Newcome　delivered　his　famous　lecture。　　The　seventh
stanza　perhaps　hardly　deserved　to　be　altered；　as　it　is；　so　as　to
bring　in　〃minnows〃　where　〃fish〃　had　been　the　reading；　and　where
〃trout〃　would　best　recall　an　English　chalk　stream。　　To　the　angler　the
rising　trout；　which　left　the　poet　cold；　is　at　least　as　welcome　as　the
〃reflex　of　a　beauteous　form。〃　　〃Every　woman　seems　an　angel　at　the
water…side；〃　said　〃that　good　old　angler；　now　with　God；〃　Thomas　Todd
Stoddart；　and　so　〃the　long　and　listless　boy〃　found　it　to　be。　　It　is
no　wonder　that　the　mother　was　〃SLOWLY　brought　to　yield　consent　to　my
desire。〃　　The　domestic　affections；　in　fact；　do　not　adapt　themselves
so　well　to　poetry　as　the　passion；　unique　in　Tennyson；　of　Fatima。　　The
critics　who　hunt　for　parallels　or　plagiarisms　will　note　…


〃O　Love；　O　fire！　once　he　drew
With　one　long　kiss　my　whole　soul　thro'
My　lips；〃


and　will　observe　Mr　Browning's


　　　〃Once　he　kissed
My　soul　out　in　a　fiery　mist。〃


As　to　OEnone；　the　scenery　of　that　earliest　of　the　classical　idylls　is
borrowed　from　the　Pyrenees　and　the　tour　with　Hallam。　　〃It　is　possible
that　the　poem　may　have　been　suggested　by　Beattie's　Judgment　of
Paris；〃　says　Mr　Collins；　it　is　also　possible　that　the　tale　which


　　　〃Quintus　Calaber
Somewhat　lazily　handled　of　old〃


may　have　reached　Tennyson's　mind　from　an　older　writer　than　Beattie。
He　is　at　least　as　likely　to　have　been　familiar　with　Greek　myth　as
with　the　lamented　〃Minstrel。〃　　The　form　of　1833；　greatly　altered　in
1842；　contained　such　unlucky　phrases　as　〃cedar　shadowy；〃　and
〃snowycoloured；〃　〃marblecold；〃　〃violet…eyed〃easy　spoils　of
criticism。　　The　alterations　which　converted　a　beautiful　but　faulty
into　a　beautiful　and　flawless　poem　perhaps　obscure　the　significance
of　OEnone's　〃I　will　not　die　alone；〃　which　in　the　earlier　volume
directly　refers　to　the　foreseen　end　of　all　as　narrated　in　Tennyson's
late　piece；　The　Death　of　OEnone。　　The　whole　poem　brings　to　mind　the
glowing　hues　of　Titian　and　the　famous　Homeric　lines　on　the　divine
wedlock　of　Zeus　and　Hera。

The　allegory　or　moral　of　The　Palace　of　Art　does　not　need　explanation。
Not　many　of　the　poems　owe　more　to　revision。　　The　early　stanza　about
Isaiah；　with　fierce　Ezekiel；　and　〃Eastern　Confutzee；〃　did　undeniably
remind　the　reader；　as　Lockhart　said；　of　The　Groves　of　Blarney。


〃With　statues　gracing　that　noble　place　in；
　　　All　haythen　goddesses　most　rare；
Petrarch；　Plato；　and　Nebuchadnezzar；
　　　All　standing　naked　in　the　open　air。〃


In　the　early　version　the　Soul；　being　too　much　〃up　to　date；〃


〃Lit　white　streams　of　dazzling　gas；〃


like　Sir　Walter　Scott　at　Abbotsford。


〃Thus　her　intense；　untold　delight；
In　deep　or　vivid　colour；　smell；　and　sound；
　　　Was　flattered　day　and　night。〃


Lockhart　was　not　fond　of　Sir　Walter's　experiments　in　gas；　the　〃smell〃
gave　him　no　〃deep；　untold　delight；〃　and　his　〃infamous　review〃　was
biassed　by　these　circumstances。

The　volume　of　1833　was　in　nothing　more　remarkable　than　in　its　proof
of　the　many…sidedness　of　the　author。　　He　offered　mediaeval　romance；
and　classical　perfection　touched　with　the　romantic　spirit；　and
domestic　idyll；　of　which　The　May　Queen　is　probably　the　most　popular
example。　　The　〃mysterious　being；〃　conversant　with　〃the　spiritual
world；〃　might　have　been　expected　to　disdain　topics　well　within　the
range　of　Eliza　Cook。　　He　did　not　despise　but　elevated　them；　and
thereby　did　more　to　introduce　himself　to　the　wide　English　public　than
he　could　have　done　by　a　century　of　Fatimas　or　Lotos…Eaters。　　On　the
other　hand；　a　taste　more　fastidious；　or　more　perverse；　will　scarcely
be　satisfied　with　pathos　which　in　process　of　time　has　come　to　seem
〃obvious。〃　　The　pathos　of　early　death　in　the　prime　of　beauty　is　less
obvious　in　Homer；　where　Achilles　is　to　be　the　victim；　or　in　the
laments　of　the　Anthology；　where　we　only　know　that　the　dead　bride　or
maiden　was　fair；　but　the　poor　May　Queen　is　of　her　nature　rather
commonplace。


〃That　good　man；　the　clergyman；　has　told　me　words　of　peace；〃


strikes　a　note　rather　resembling　the　Tennysonian　parody　of　Wordsworth
…


〃A　Mr　Wilkinson；　a　clergyman。〃


The　Loto